Detection and Enumeration of Waterborne Parasitic Protozoa from Different Water Sources in Three Different Governorates of Egypt

Abstract

Over the past few decades, there have been steady increases in the number of water-borne complaint outbreaks and the emergence of recently identified waterborne freeloaders. In the present work, a survey study was conducted in three different Egyptian governorates (Giza, Qalyubia, and Menoufia) during the period from March 2022 to January 2023 to identify and quantify water-borne freeloaders using different ways, including membrane filtration. A total of 430 water samples were collected from the study areas. Giardia cysts were detected in 8 samples, while Cryptosporidium oocysts were recorded in 28 samples. Additionally, excrescencies of E. histolytica were found in 8 samples, and E. coli excrescencies were found in 5 samples. About 26.3% of stream water samples and 21.4% of household water tanks were positive for water-borne parasites in Qalyubia Governorate, while 5.0% of stream water samples and 2.9% of household water tanks were positive for water-borne parasites in Giza Governorate. In Menoufia Governorate, about 15.0% of stream water samples and 13.3% of household water tanks were positive for water-borne parasites. The drinking water samples were negative for water-borne parasites in the three different governorates. The overall frequency of water-borne parasites in these three governorates (Giza, Qalyubia, and Menoufia) was 16.3%, 2.7% and 10.0%, respectively. In conclusion, this study could serve as a birth surveillance of waterborne freeloaders in different areas in Egypt. These results emphasized the significance of screening water sources to help prevent the potential spread of parasitic protozoan and other water-borne conditions, especially in areas that are near agricultural fields.